Not long after Ezekiel left the town where the Hunters had gathered, he deviated from his course ever so slightly. He was still headed to Harkem, but the wording of his contract allowed him to take longer than necessary, so long as his destination was still Harkem, and he was headed north. Northeast was still north, and it would take him into territory that was too hazardous for most Hunters to move around alone.
But Ezekiel had experience in traveling through the Desolate Lands, and the current Harkem territory hadn’t been subsumed by the Desolate Lands just yet. So, it wasn’t too hard for him to make his way through the area that he was certain the Cult would try to avoid.
Given his current pace, there was no chance that he would make it to the city before whatever was after him caught up. So, it was best that he find another means of reaching the city. Given the current timing, if he went in a more curved route, he’d have the chance to break to replenish his mana before making the final stretch, right before the estimated time of the Cruor’s attack.
Said breakpoint was going to be a small lake that was nestled southeast of Harkem. Given that it was a man-made lake, and wasn’t connected to the ocean in any way, it was unlikely that the Cruor would set up a significant presence there.
Until they established a proper hold on the area, the Deep Cruor wouldn’t be sent to occupy it, and the Winged, Fanged, and Bone Cruor had no reason to set up a camp there. Perhaps a small stopping place for a drink when patrolling, but given the likelihood of an attack, he figured that most of their forces would be closer to Harkem, and not spread out as far as the lake was.
“Are you sure that we’ll be able to hide? Legendary Hunters would easily be able to cover the area that we’re just barely going to be traveling.” Shine inquired. “I mean, we don’t know if it’s Legendary Hunters, but still. They’ll catch up soon.”
“Yeah... but only a suicidal fool would head straight into Cruor controlled territory. Especially as an Adept, but we did it when we were Apprentices. So, it’s not likely they’ll expect this course of action.” Ezekiel explained. “That’s assuming it’s the Cult. If it’s something else, then we’re screwed. But it’s better than heading directly towards where we told Garrad we were going.”
Shine just mentally hummed in agreement. They had become much more in sync with each other ever since their trial at Feather Mountain. While they were still lacking when it came to supplementary artifacts, their increased skills and ease of mana use made up for quite a bit.
“Besides, if we don’t take a break at the lake, we won’t have enough mana to get to Harkem. As it is, we’ll be cutting it fairly close already.” Ezekiel said. “We don’t have carts, and while we can move faster without them, we can’t do that for long. We’ll be lucky if we get there before the reinforcements do.”
That was enough to silence any of Shine’s complaints. They were already out here, so it wasn’t like there was much they could do anyways. They realized it was better to think about what to do next.
Regardless, as they moved, they bounced ideas back and forth between one another to figure out what the next best course of action would be once they got to the lake. Ezekiel remembered from some of the maps he’d seen that there were cliffs built into large stone hills that were pulled up by Legendaries in years past. They might be a good place to carve out a little hiding hole.
For the entirety of the journey, they avoided several groups of Umbral Beasts that were roaming aimlessly. Their freshly mutated forms retained some of their previous traits. It was easy to tell that most of these beasts were once livestock of some sort.
Cows with multiple wings, chicken’s the size of horses with fangs and claws, and pigs covered in bone plates that were spiked and covered their eyes. These were but a few of the monstrous sights that Ezekiel and Shine witnessed as they traveled. The sight was almost made worse since he could see them quite clearly. Unlike in the actual desolate lands where visibility was incredibly low. It was almost enough to make Ezekiel feel sick.
Fortunately, after just a couple of hours, they had successfully made it to the lake. Finding an area in the nearby hills, Ezekiel and Shine carved out an area that was somewhat suitable for them. Then, using some of the stones that were nearby, Ezekiel created a temporary formation. Something that he had picked up after the expedition in Morncrest.
It would create a basic camouflage ward that would prevent the major senses from perceiving their camp. Such things were rare, and an Apprentice wouldn’t have much use for it, since it usually took a massive amount of mana to power for even a few hours. Hence why he hadn’t bothered to use it in Tarquessa. Though, the few supplies he picked up in Gates were also used up in the process.
Luckily, now that they were Adepts, Ezekiel and Shine still had enough combined mana, even after moving as quickly as they had, to power it for long enough for them to both regenerate their mana before moving out once again. Given the time, the two quickly entered into a meditative state. Not making moves to gather mana, but just preparing themselves, and resting their minds for the fighting to come.
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A group of six Hunters was flying low, the light that their mana emitted had disappeared. Their plans had deviated from the original. They had thought that they would be fighting the reinforcements until they had killed the Anathema. Perhaps, with their numbers, they would’ve convinced the reinforcements to simply hand him over.
Yes, their actions would result in a loss of reputation for the Cult of Light. Especially if they didn’t participate in the fight with the Cruor now that they had revealed their presence. However, before they could join the fight, they had a more important job to finish.
“Has anyone sensed anything yet?” The apparent leader, a Radiant Hunter clad in golden armor, called out as they continued flying towards Harkem. The silence that answered him spoke volumes. “I see.”
The leader came to a stop in mid-air. There was little point in flying any faster at this point. Too much further and they would be within the sensory range of Harkem. They couldn’t show themselves just yet. Not before they killed the Anathema.
Fortunately, they knew that the Anathema would be heading to Harkem. He would have no choice. Not after signing the contracts provided to those who were trying to obtain forgiveness for past crimes. But for now, it was time to spread out.
“From here we will be moving on foot. It is time to expand our search. Any one of us is capable of destroying the Anathema on our own.” The leader said. “The only reason he survived in the past was due to sheer luck and support from others. Of which he has neither right now.”
“What about the Cruor? If we spread too thin, it’s possible that we will become a target. Given how close Harkem is to enacting his plan, revealing our presence has the chance of changing things in a negative manner.” The blue clad Hunter asked.
“Our ultimate goal is to kill the Anathema. The loss of Harkem will be great, but acceptable. In the long run, killing the Anathema now will ensure that our plans don’t have anything interfering with them.” The other golden clad Hunter said. Her voice was dull and bored.
“Indeed.” The male Radiant Hunter said. “Move out and destroy the Anathema. Now!”
With that, the six Legendaries spread out, avoiding Harkem, as well as the direction of the Cruor, at least for now. Unfortunately, they would run out of time well before either the reinforcements, or Ezekiel, would reach Harkem.
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Several hours had passed, and luck was not on the Cult of Light’s side as they failed to find any traces of Ezekiel. Finally, after regrouping, they made the decision to head east, in an attempt to search for him. But while they were doing this, Ezekiel had long since moved on.
Dawn was arriving soon, and it was likely that the battle with the Cruor was going to begin quite soon. As such, Ezekiel and Shine were moving as fast as they could and hoped to get to Harkem within an hour or so of sunrise.
“I’m surprised that things have gone well so far.” Shine said as they moved through the hills and forests that surrounded Harkem.
“So am I, but that doesn’t mean we should jinx things by bragging about it.” Ezekiel said. “How’s your mana right now?”
“I still have well over half. I’m not moving, and you’re the one reinforcing yourself to run faster.” Shine replied. “Hopefully we reach Tier four soon. I can’t wait until we can fly almost effortlessly.”
“Most would pray that they could see even the edge of Tier four. But here you are expecting to become a Legendary figure like it’s guaranteed.” Ezekiel said. “You’re getting cocky.”
“I am not! We’re just awesome!” Shine said with an indignant tone. They held it for a couple seconds but broke into nervous laughter fairly quickly.
Ezekiel tried to smile, but he was just as nervous and wary of what they were running into as Shine was. They had been fortunate enough to not run into many Umbral Beasts so far, but the lack of Beasts and Cruor wasn’t a good thing. If anything, it meant that they were grouping up for a final push. If the reinforcements were even a little bit late, then Harkem would fall with little to no resistance.
“I see something!” Shine exclaimed. Ezekiel had been focused almost entirely on moving towards the city. So, his awareness was somewhat tunneled, and he left it to shine to remain aware of their expanded surroundings.
Ezekiel immediately ducked behind a small grouping of trees. His movements halted, and he reinforced his Shroud, taking some of the burden from Shine. He hoped that this was just one of the patrol teams from Harkem. But even then, he knew he had to be careful.
He wasn’t exactly a beloved man when it came to most Harkem citizens. Even the Guilds would’ve likely heard less than flattering things about him.
“What did you see?” Ezekiel asked. He had begun expanding his senses to try and find what Shine had seen. “Was it the Cruor, or was it a Hunter?”
“I’m not sure. I just saw the shadows moving strangely.” Shine explained. “But that means we can rule out the Cult, right? Since they don’t approve of Death and Obscure Mages, right?”
Stolen story; please report.
“We never actually confirmed that, I don’t think. But the startling lack of Mages with those elements says a lot.” Ezekiel said. “It could also have been shadows cast by a Winged Cruor or Umbral Beast. For now, it would be best to keep your senses as alert as possible.”
Shine conveyed a feeling of agreement, and Ezekiel felt his senses expand and sharpen as Shine started supporting him more directly. He replied in kind, and the two felt their mana begin to strengthen. But as they remained still, standing under the cover of several trees, nothing happened. This went on for several minutes, but as time went on, they knew they needed to move.
They couldn’t just stay here and continue waiting. Sooner or later, their contract would force them to start moving. The chance that the Cult would eventually catch up was also something they couldn’t afford to wait for.
“Let’s start moving again. We can’t keep waiting. But we’ll jump first. In three, two, one!” Ezekiel and Shine Jumped, moving a couple hundred meters to the direct north. Not a moment later, the area they had vacated was filled with a mountain of spiked shadows. Were they still there, they would’ve been pierced through several times over.
But the fact that they had avoided one fatal attack didn’t mean they were out of the woods just yet. The moment they had touched down on the ground of their landing zone, Ezekiel and Shine were forced to Jump again as their senses screamed at them to move.
A hundred swords of light stabbed down into the area that he was just standing in. Unaware of the Shadows that had struck just a few hundred meters south, Ezekiel immediately thought that the Cult had caught up to him. But as he landed, this time to the west, he realized that he had failed to take into account his surroundings.
Landing on an uneven surface, Ezekiel was unable to catch himself as he landed at the edge of a pitfall trap that was lined with hardened stone spikes. Up until this point, they hadn’t run into any traps of this sort, but as they thought about it, it made sense that they would create traps closer and closer to the city. Throwing up a barrier, Ezekiel landed roughly in the pit, fortunately uninjured.
But as he regained his bearing, he realized that his Shroud had come undone. Just as he had put it back up, he found himself hanging in the air above the pit. A sense of vertigo from the sudden movement and a blinding light in front of his face disoriented him enough to prevent another sudden Jump. The fact that Shine didn’t immediately take over and get them out of there meant that they were either being suppressed or didn’t think they could get away.
“Ezekiel!” Shine called out in concern. But as Ezekiel heard their voice, he thought it sounded further away. Blindly reaching for his hip, he realized that Shine wasn’t on his belt anymore.
“Stay there!” Ezekiel exclaimed. “The Cult would’ve just killed me. They’re likely from Harkem!”
Shine calmed down at Ezekiel’s words. They realized that it was true. The Cult would’ve just killed him, not bothering with restraining him like this. As a shadow extended across the ground, holding Ezekiel in place in addition to the light that restrained him, their assumptions that this wasn’t the Cult were solidified. Hopefully, they would be able to talk themselves out of this.
As the light in front of Ezekiel’s eyes dimmed, he had to blink the spots out of his eyes as a pair of Legendaries approached him. Unable to move, he focused on recovering as best he could, and resisting the pressure that was bearing down on him.
“Who are you! What the hell is an Adept doing this far in Harkem’s territory? All the Adepts tied to the city are waiting for the counterattack. Either within Harkem’s wall, or at towns along the border.” The Radiant Hunter asked. He was clad in golden armor with a lion’s roaring face engraved on his chest plate.
“And how did you move like that? I’ve never seen magic like that before. You managed to avoid my shadow spears like they weren’t even there.” The woman, a Huntress clad in black armor, also with a feline figure engraved on her chest piece. “Also, don’t bother trying it again. We’ll simply catch up to you when you run out of mana.”
For a moment, Ezekiel was silent. His disbelieving eyes widened as he heard the Hunter’s voices. Shine, sensing his confusion and disbelief, tried to call out to him. But Ezekiel’s words spilled out of his mouth before they could see if he was alright.
“Dad? Mom?” Ezekiel’s words caused the two Hunters to freeze in place, and Ezekiel felt the light and shadows restraining him tighten up. But before it could get too much more uncomfortable, Ezekiel felt the hood and other coverings over his face be torn off.
Seeing Ezekiel’s pure white hair, The two Hunters looked on in confusion for a second, before the connection between the color and the Void element was made in their minds. Their helmets immediately opened up, and the faces of Warren and Evelyn Luminance stared at their son in open mouthed shock.
Letting their spells drop, Ezekiel was released from his restraints, only to drop roughly a dozen feet to the ground. Landing with a grunt of surprise, Ezekiel looked up at his parents. Realizing who they had just attacked and held in restraints, his parents dove down and began checking over him.
They could discuss things later on. Both regarding Ezekiel’s presence, and their reactions to him. But for now, Ezekiel was just happy to see his family again for the first time in eight years. Something that Shine was also happy for, as they watched from the side.
It was just a shame. Even though they had both avoided whatever was coming after them, and had been reunited with Ezekiel’s family, the ill omen that they were feeling in their souls was starting to grow stronger. It seemed like this conflict was going to escalate much sooner than expected.
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As shocking and joyous as their reunion was, The three Luminances knew that they couldn’t stay where they were. They were currently in contested territory, and given the likelihood of an attack, they knew that they needed to return to the city. Fortunately, it seemed that Warren and Evelyn were wrapping up their final patrol before the city hunkered down in full defensive mode.
Thus, the family returned to the city, not running into anything else on their way. Something that didn’t help Ezekiel’s feeling of ill omen. As they traveled, the mood began to turn more subdued as Ezekiel caught his parents up on what he had been up to over the past eight years.
They were overjoyed to hear about Ezekiel’s exploits as a Scholar in the Church of Ten. Even if he had only remained with them for a few years before he was expelled for being a Hunter. But the fact that he had been behind the creation of an artifact as groundbreaking as the Com-Slates was something that Ezekiel’s parents were incredibly proud of.
The two were less than pleased to hear that the Cult of Light had taken steps to kill him, even after his exile. But were somewhat placated when they found out that the Cult’s forces had been wiped out. The fact that he had five years to develop and grow stronger was even better. But there was a nagging feeling in their hearts as they realized that they had missed so much of their son’s childhood.
Things lightened up when Ezekiel introduced them to Shine. It seemed that they were quite excited to see Ezekiel’s Spirit. Not only was Shine the first of their kind, but also the bonded companion of their son. Someone that had been with Ezekiel through thick and thin for the past eight years.
It wasn’t all about Ezekiel either. Warren and Evelyn had been through a fair bit over the years as well. But mostly it was just missions for the Church. They had mostly paid off the debt that they had taken for Ezekiel’s life. That didn’t mean that things were perfectly fine, but it did mean that they were officially pardoned once the conflict between Harkem and the Cruor had broken out.
They still had to remain for the battle until things settled down properly. But they would only be forced to remain there until the end of the unaffiliated Hunters’ contracts were completed. At the moment, that meant that they would be free from their contract in the next six months or so. Same as Ezekiel.
When Ezekiel brought up Wendy and Ellen, his parents grew quiet. They explained how they had done their best to prevent them from hating Ezekiel and falling in line with other people’s thoughts. But his reputation was not good in Harkem. While the Cult had been officially removed, the fact of the matter was, they could only get such a foothold due to the deep prejudice towards Void Mages.
There had been more than one occasion where the twins had gotten into trouble because they retaliated to insults against them. Almost entirely due to their relationship with Ezekiel. Shari, Yennifrey, and Drew had been helpful in watching over them. But there were problems on that front as well.
Once Ezekiel had sent his letter regarding his trip to Morncrest, Drew had thrown himself into training far more than before. It had gotten to the point of obsession, and it was apparent that Drew wasn’t going to stop until he got strong enough to hunt in the Desolate Lands by himself.
Of course, all of his friends had gotten stronger over the years. Shari had reached peak Tier two and would likely break through to the Adept level within a year. Yennifrey had also reached top Tier two but wasn’t at the peak just yet. But she mainly focused on her enchanting, rather than direct combat magic and fighting alongside her Spirit.
Both of them had evacuated the city with the other citizens. They had also taken Ellen and Wendy with them, and they would meet up at Tollren after their contracts were up. Only Guild members remained at this point. Though that included Tier twos as well as Adepts and higher.
“What about Drew?” Ezekiel eventually asked. Not missing how they had glossed over his only male friend from Harkem. It was apparent that something had happened to him, and their relationship had likely deteriorated.
“... He... he didn’t take your stories well. He called you a liar, and refused to believe that you, at Tier two, could go into the Desolate Lands alone, and survive.” Warren finally said. They were reaching the city now. It wouldn’t be more than a few minutes before they had to check in.
“It’s unfortunate, but he eventually broke ties with us. Even though his mother never did.” Warren continued. “Once he reached the peak of Tier two, he joined one of the Tier three Guilds. Having decided that the Tier four Guilds weren’t worth his time. Not even when he was offered a place in the Wandering Titans. Since then, he used his position to get as many resources as possible and rushed to Tier three. He has his own team that he’s been leading in this conflict. Mostly attacking the Cruor directly, diving as far into the territory that they took as he possibly can.”
Ezekiel didn’t know what to say to that. He recalled how he insisted that Drew shouldn’t go into the Desolate Lands until he was at least Tier three, else he was certain to die. But he had never thought that his own contradictory actions would result in something like this.
For now, he could only hope that things were still salvageable. That he would be able to smooth things over once he got to Harkem. Though, given the situation he knew that he needed to prioritize things. At the moment, fighting the Cruor was the main thing.
Looking into the distance, Ezekiel could see that they had arrived at Harkem. The defenses were running at full power. Several teams of Hunters were patrolling as they scoured the nearby areas. Everyone was on high alert, and they were all prepared for battle.
Landing not far away from the entrance to the city, Ezekiel could feel the contract that he had signed with Garrad disappear. The conditions had been fulfilled. It would likely be a few hours before the reinforcements arrived. But given they were expecting an attack within that time, things were currently looking up.
Of course, it was just as they had passed through the gates, and the defenses were sealed once again, that Ezekiel’s bad feeling reared its ugly head. Nearly throwing him to the ground, Ezekiel’s insides churned as he felt a pressure that was stronger than any Legendary figure he had ever sensed.
His parents turned to him in shock and fear, but he just looked up, ignoring them as he stared into the sky. Unable to look away from the enormous wings that had suddenly appeared and cast the city in a darkness reminiscent of the Desolate Lands.
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A few seconds ago, high above the city of Harkem, a twelve-winged figure was surrounded by countless creatures, all warped and mutated beyond recognition. Above him, hidden by his unfolded wings, thousands of winged figures had gathered. All of them awaited their master’s command.
Reaching out a hand, the Broodlord of the Winged Cruor plucked a single feather from one of his wings. Holding the feather in his hand, he increased the flow of the Ichor running through his veins. With a flex of his wings the small amount of clouds covering the sky disappeared, only to be replaced with a mist that emanated from his wings.
This mist accumulated into a massive set of his own silver wings, casting the city below in total darkness. Even as the sun began to rise on the horizon, as the mist began to spread, and his began to grow, the light of dawn did not shine on Harkem.
“Let the war begin in full.” The Broodlord declared. Swinging his hand down at the city, he released the feather held between his fingers. It flew like a comet, faster than sound, but as silent as a grave. Piercing the defenses surrounding the city, the sound of shattered glass echoed outwards as the defensive formations were destroyed.
A loud boom followed afterwards as the feather impacted the ground, and the resulting explosion of energy leveled a large portion of the inner areas of the city.
“Attack. You know which one to leave alive. Everyone else can be dealt with as you please. Eat to your heart’s content.” The Broodlord declared.
The sky was filled with countless shrieks of maddening joy. Without further ado, the swarm of winged beasts descended on the city of Harkem. All the while, the Broodlord that commanded them looked on from above. Though his attention turned to the west in anticipation.